Advertising his love: High schooler asks girlfriend to prom using billboard

Thursday

Apr 24, 2008 at 12:01 AMApr 24, 2008 at 5:01 AM

In case you’ve been wondering, Stephanie Wilson said yes. She intends to go to the prom with the towheaded boy on the billboard.

Edd Pritchard

In case you’ve been wondering, Stephanie Wilson said yes. She intends to go to the prom with the towheaded boy on the billboard.
The boy is Kyler King, now a 16-year-old junior at Lake High School. He and Stephanie -- 17 and a senior -- have been friends for several years and have dated for 7 ½ months.
They had planned to attend the prom with a group of friends. But Kyler hadn’t officially “asked” Stephanie to the prom. In fact, he even said he might not “ask” her.
Of course Kyler always intended to ask Stephanie. It just was a matter of how to ask.
Simply posing the question doesn’t work for the male members of the King family.
In 1986, when Tim King determined he wanted to ask for Stacy Lynn Hamilton’s hand in marriage, he rigged a drawing at halftime of a Liberty University football game to get the job done. Stacy won the drawing and received a scroll with Tim’s marriage proposal.
With family tradition at stake, Kyler started kicking around ideas with his father.
Tim suggested using the billboard near the intersection of Cleveland Avenue and Highland Park Street NW. It features a photo of King’s family and advertises his business, N.E. Family Care Center.
Then they settled on a straightforward message: “Steph Wilson, prom?”
Using foamboard and paint, Kyler created a comic strip balloon for the message. He mounted the sign with help from his parents and school friends Kelcie Smith and Emily Chapman.
After baseball practice last Saturday, Kyler took Stephanie for a drive, telling her that he had to deliver some papers at his father’s office in North Canton. While driving down Aultman Avenue NW, he faked a telephone call with his father and contrived a reason to drive down Highland Park Street NW.
Stephanie knew she could look for Kyler on the billboard across the road from where Highland Park ends at Cleveland Avenue. But she didn’t expect to see the message. She looked once. Looked twice. “Tears started streaming,” she said.
The surprise, said Stephanie, was the best way to be asked to the prom, which is May 3.
“It’s one of those things you won’t forget for the rest of your life, ‘cause you don’t think anyone would ever do that for you,” she said.
Canton Repository